The hormone Oxytocin has been lovingly referred to as the ‘cuddle chemical’ or the ‘love drug.’ But it now plays a dubious role in promoting prostitution.
"Love is of all passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the
head, the heart and the senses." - Lao Tzu
The hormone Oxytocin has been lovingly referred to as the ‘cuddle hormone’, ‘feel-good chemical’ or the ‘love drug,’ due to its several magnificent qualities. But sadly this nature’s wonder has been dragged into the limelight for dubious reasons.
'Ecstasy' the Drug
Ecstasy is the street name for the psychoactive drug 3,4-MethyleneDioxy-N-MethylAmphetamine or MDMA. A part of the rave culture, it provides relaxation and helps to dance the night away.
Ecstasy is the street name for the psychoactive drug 3,4-MethyleneDioxy-N-MethylAmphetamine or MDMA. A part of the rave culture, it provides relaxation and helps to dance the night away.
But it began to be brought to public attention that hundreds of little girls, even as young as 6 months to ten years, are being regularly kidnapped from across the length and breadth of India to be brought to these villages, and forced to ‘grow up quickly’ so that they may enter the ‘traditional trade’ of the region and rope in the moolah.
These children are given unregulated doses of the hormone Oxytocin by the villagers to hasten sexual maturity so that they can be pushed into prostitution in Mumbai or sent to the Gulf, at the earliest.
A Recipe For Love
In the presence of a potential mate our bodies indulge in an involuntary pantomime, a phenomenon as old as the human race.
In the presence of a potential mate our bodies indulge in an involuntary pantomime, a phenomenon as old as the human race.
When injected with this drug, pre- teens ‘blossom’ and begin to resemble teens. They also become trusting and more sexually charged - traits that are essential for their compliance.
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Pheromones - Introduction
Pheromones are the wonder chemicals that are known to significantly influence the love chemistry and sexual attraction between a man and woman.
Pheromones are the wonder chemicals that are known to significantly influence the love chemistry and sexual attraction between a man and woman.
Oxytocin has long been used by dishonest milkmen to boost milk yield in cows and buffaloes and also by farmers who inject it into vegetables to make them grow faster and bigger.
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Prostitution: Fresh Stakes in the Oldest Trade
Prostitution has broadened its base to include street prostitution, massage brothels, gigolo outcall services, strip clubs, lap dancing, phone sex, child prostitution and sex tourism.
Prostitution has broadened its base to include street prostitution, massage brothels, gigolo outcall services, strip clubs, lap dancing, phone sex, child prostitution and sex tourism.
Oxytocin is a mammalian hormone secreted by the hypothalamus of the brain. It is also secreted by tissues of the ovaries and testes and acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain. It brings about hormonal changes and the responses to the hormone is markedly increased in women than in men.
Traditionally Oxytocin prepares a woman for childbirth and breast feeding.
Oxytocin facilitates the release of dopamine, which is responsible for a feeling of wellness, excitement, and bonding. The levels of oxytocin surge stupendously during acts of intimacy and orgasm, paving way for adult emotional bonding. The hormone is believed to have evolved as a tool to reduce stress and fear of another person in order to facilitate contact and procreation.
Oxytocin evidently plays a vital role in bonding not just in humans but in animals too. Although the intricate biochemical reactions need to be clearly elucidated, it is clear that oxytocin interacts with other hormones associated with pleasure and social behavior to bring about its final effect.
Recent Research
Various studies have effectively contributed to the growing list of oxytocin benefits. It has been understood that this wonderful hormone promotes positive qualities such as empathy and generosity and ensures emotional bonding in close relationships.
Researchers in the UK and Germany have discovered that when oxytocin is administered to men in the form of a nasal spray they become more empathetic and caring—traits usually associated with women. This is probably what women have been waiting for eons –to instill sensitivity in uncaring partners!
Research has also shown that oxytocin contributes to social memoryand helps us to initiate and establish a preference for people we like, by remembering their faces, and differentiating them from those we dislike.
The hormone is known to promote bonding between mothers and newborns. However no research has revealed that it helps to make the mothers that much more endearing to their offspring.
Scientists speculate that the “love hormone” may play a significant role in the higher levels of depression and interpersonal stress commonly observed in women, who are twice as often affected as men. It is hoped that future research will throw more light on the effect of oxytocin on human psychiatry and whether it plays a role in controlling emotional and sexual behavior.
Distress Call
High, unregulated doses of Oxytocin has several side effects on the body. It causes hormonal changes, affects the centre nervous system and can cause seizures.
Needless to say, such unscrupulous acts, as mentioned above, will have devastating psychological effects on the victims.
It is indeed a pity that the cuddle chemical, which helped women to build familial bonds, has been put to use in this loathsome manner, to disrupt families and scar women for life.
Lets hope that the powers that be, which are currently in a denial mode, wake up before the face of India is further tarnished and more damage is done!
Source-Medindia
Dr Reeja Tharu/S
